“We’re working hard to create a city that’s even better for pedestrians to move around easily, so we need to take steps to prevent poor parking choices which have become increasingly common in recent years,” says Councillor Iona Pannett, Chairperson of the Council’s Pūroro Āmua Planning and Environment Committee.
“Parking on footpaths creates safety risks for footpath users, who are often forced onto the road to get around vehicles. This is far from optimal if, for instance, you are pushing a pram or if you are in a wheelchair.
“Our approach to managing this situation supports both our zero-carbon strategy and the Let’s Get Wellington Moving vison of accessibility, shared streets and efficient local and regional journeys. In the coming months we’ll be sharing information to help Wellingtonians understand that parking on footpaths is both unacceptable and illegal.”
Cr Pannett says the Council will work with communities to implement feasible solutions where possible.
“But as Wellington works towards becoming a net zero-carbon Capital by 2050, parking for private vehicles will increasingly become less of a priority.
“In the meantime, the Council understands some vehicle owners will need to explore different parking options, so we want to provide some time for them to find alternative solutions. For that reason, no changes to our ticketing practice will be made until early next year.”
From 1 February 2022 any vehicle parked illegally on a footpath may be ticketed.
Between now and next February, parking officers will remind drivers that parking on footpaths is not permitted, and continue to issue infringements in situations where a vehicle is fully obstructing a footpath or when a vehicle totally obstructs pedestrian access.
Earlier this year the Council revoked a footpath parking guideline from 2005 to reflect the city’s new Parking Policy which prioritises the safe, efficient movement of people, active and public transport over private vehicles and introduced a parking space hierarchy to prioritise the use of public road space.
For more information see: Parking on a footpath